Way back when I first got heavily into pop music, I imagined being able to customize a “greatest hits” album of my personal favorites, and having it made into an album.

I was fully aware of reality, of course.

“That’s a pipe dream,” I thought, even though I wasn’t yet familiar with the phrase pipe dream.

I also envisioned a personal radio station, being able to somehow play DJ and broadcast a home “playlist,” meaning the top hits of the day were whatever records we had around the house.

Well, those dreams have become reality in the 21st century. It began in earnest a decade ago with the iTunes store and iPods, allowing listeners to purchase music and create their own best-of packages. Then came Internet radio (such as Pandora) and the advent of streaming services like Spotify.

So yeah, without realizing it, I invented all that stuff back in the ’70s. Where’s my paycheck?

Gore-isms aside, it seems like more than 10 years have passed since iTunes shuffled its way into the world. It’s the reverse of the “time flies” motto.

The iPod allowed more freedom. It meant you could store your music on a small device and not have to carry a suitcase full of CDs from place to place.

More convenience, but also more isolation. You didn’t necessarily play your songlists for other people to enjoy — or despise.

That has changed somewhat with Internet radio stations and streaming sites. It’s more sharing-oriented.

But how many people bother to listen to your favorites depends on how many friends you have.

Some things never change.

I don’t have much to say about the iTunes milestone. This is more about trying to recall what was on my make-believe MyHits album back in the day, because I want to recreate it on a streaming setlist in the here-and-now, accessible to anyone who wants to hear it.

But I can’t remember which songs I would have used. Not that anybody would know the difference.